Growthtrac Community

[findingtheway]

Hi I was wondering if anyone knows of any internet filters good for kids and free would be great, I dont' know much about them or how they work so any information would be great.

Thanks

[SAM]

The top ones that I have heard about are ContentProtect, NetNanny and CyberSitter. I undersand them to be fairly equally rated.

Another way to check is to google - "internet filters for children".

[rdsmith3]

If your computer is connected to the internet, especially if you have a high speed connection that is always on, you know that you need a firewall, and also protection against viruses and spyware. The reason I mention this is because these programs often also have protection against unwanted web sites. I know that Zone Alarm, a good firewall program, also has a pretty good system for blocking web sites. However, it is not free. It is not expensive, but not free. With Zone Alarm, you have an all-in-one program that is a firewall, anti-spyware, anti-virus, and protection from bad web sites. It is a good program that does everything, so even though it is not free, it is a good value.

The new Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 (free) also offers the ability to block web sites, but I am not sure how good it is. Yesterday, it blocked me from logging in to the Dell Computer web site because it had no rating. It is not a bad web site, it just has no rating. That is how I had set up the program, but then I could not remember my own *!

Also, you probably know this, but it is suggested that all computers should be in public areas of the house. We do not have any computers or TVs in our kids' rooms.

Finally, you should check the history of the web sites your kids have visited. The kids should know that you will check, and the history should not be erased, or else there may be loss of privileges.

I say this from experience with kids who are currently ages 17, 13, 11, 8 and 10 months.